🦁 Spurs hammer 10-man Man Utd at Old Trafford; Villa fail to go joint top

There were two very intriguing Premier League clashes on Sunday as the season continues to take shape.

Spurs hammer 10-man Man Utd at Old Trafford

Scorers: Johnson 3′, Kulusevski 47′, Solanke 77′

Tottenham defeated 10-man Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, piling near-insurmountable pressure on under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.

Ange Postecoglou’s side took the lead inside three minutes of the game through Brennan Johnson, but it was all about Micky van de Ven. The Dutch defender ran all of 70 yards down the left-hand side, through the United midfield and defence, before squaring it for Johnson to tap into an empty net.

United didn’t settle at all in the opening period, and were lucky not to be two behind, with James Maddison and Destiny Udogie both having decent chances.

Johnson almost did make it two just before the 20 minute mark, hitting the post after more good play from Udogie.

Joshua Zirkzee nearly levelled things shortly after, but Guglielmo Vicario did well to stop his shot after Kobbie Mainoo crossed towards him.

Spurs continued to cut through United at near-will, and it would have been 2-0 but for Noussair Mazraoui’s clearance before Timo Werner could tap home.

Spurs’ inability to get a second left them playing a risky game, and Alejandro Garnacho almost made them pay, cracking the post with a volley from a Marcus Rashford cross.

The half ended with Bruno Fernandes being questionably sent off for a tackle on James Maddison. The United captain slipped and took down the Spurs man, ending a dire 45 for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Spurs needed just two minutes of the second half to take advantage of the extra man, not that they really needed it, Dejan Kulusevski finishing brilliantly from a deflected Johnson cross.

United had their best spell of the game after, as they looked for a way back into a game that looked lost. Casemiro came closest, his side-foot volley going just wide.

Dominic Solanke sealed the victory for Spurs with 13 minutes remaining, sliding into tap home from yards out after Pape Matar Sarr nodded on a corner.

Spurs could have had more on a great day for them, and another sorry one for United.

Postecoglou sees the pressure lift on him, while ten Hag’s future is now even more uncertain.

Aston Villa fail to go joint top after Ipswich rally

Scorers: Delap 8′, 72′; Rogers 15′, Watkins 32′

Ipswich might remain winless on their return to the Premier League, but it is now four games unbeaten after a cracking and richly deserved 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at Portman Road.

Villa dominated the ball in the early stages, however, their only opening was a Youri Tielemans effort from distance that went flying over.

As tends to happen, Ipswich then took the lead with their very first attack. Sam Morsey had his shot blocked before the ball was worked out left to Jack Clarke.

His cutback was met by Liam Delap, and his shot squirmed under Emi Martínez. The Villa keeper should have done better, but no one in the home end of Portman Road cared.

Their lead lasted just seven minutes, and they were the architects of their own downfall. Jacob Greaves’ clearance went straight to Morgan Rogers inside the box. After a one-two with Ollie Watkins, he fired home to level things up.

Clarke should have put the Tractor Boys back in front shortly after, glancing a header over from Leif Davis’ dangerous cross.

Villa took the lead just after the half-hour mark. After some neat build-up play, Leon Bailey whipped in a brilliant cross for Ollie Watkins to nod in.

Martínez made up for his error for the first, denying Delap one-on-one with a footed save as Ipswich continued to make chances before the break.

The second half got off to a slower start, unsurprisingly, with Villa keeping the Tractor Boys mostly at arms length.

Leif Davis had their best effort, firing a left-footed strike into the side netting after more good play from Clarke.

The scorer of Ipswich’s first, Delap, got their second with just under 20 minutes to go, and it was an absolutely brilliant goal. Picking the ball up just inside the Villa box, he ran at Diego Carlos, skinned him and finished expertly past Martínez.

Both sides had chances to win it, but the game ended in a draw, and it was a fair result in most part.

Monday sees Bournemouth host Southampton.